


Past

by PaperThinRevolutionary (SingFortissimo)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Apologies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Modern AU, Post Reynolds Pamphlet, Second Chances, i guess?, young philip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 04:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10914756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingFortissimo/pseuds/PaperThinRevolutionary
Summary: “May I help you?”“Mrs. Hamilton—”“Schuyler. Please.”“Miss Schuyler. I… I’m sure you don’t want to see me, or even… Even remember I exist, but I needed to see you and apologize for what I did, what I was a part of.”





	Past

Maria had never felt this much fear in her twenty some-odd years on this earth. She worried her hands together, fiddled with the fabric of her sleeves, paced back and forth outside for what felt like hours before she finally knocked at the door of the all-too-familiar (for all the wrong reasons) home. As soon as her knuckles brushed the wood, another wave of anxiety crashed onto her. At least she knew that the man of the home wouldn’t be there to answer the door. 

Finally, she heard shoes clicking on the hardwood entryway, a soft sigh, then the lock for the door clicking. Next thing she knew, a woman was peeking out the small opening at her, brows furrowed. “May I help you?” 

“Mrs. Hamilton—”

“Schuyler. Please.” She corrected immediately, and the younger girl slumped a bit. Maria was sure the divorce was a tribute to her. 

“Miss Schuyler. I… I’m sure you don’t want to see me, or even… Even remember I exist, but I needed to see you and apologize for what I did, what I was a part of.” Maria said gently, bit her lip and looked up at Eliza with sad eyes. 

Eliza seemed to soften, just enough to open the door wider and jolt at the chill of the cold night air. She sighed gently and stepped aside. “Come in before you catch a chill…” She murmured, motherly instinct not allowing the coldness that the darkest parts of her mind wanted to offer. As much as the events of the past few months had hurt her, it was too much for the woman to be as blatantly cold as she knew she should be, as cold as she knew her sisters would be if they were in her shoes. 

Soon, both women were inside, sitting across from one another by the hearth of the fireplace. Eliza had pulled her blanket back over her lap, offered one to Maria as well, then sat in silence while both thought of what they could even say. 

The elder woman was the first to break the awkward silence, sipping her quickly cooling tea and glancing over. “So.. Why? Why did you do it?” She asked. Maria glanced at the floor, and Eliza continued to speak. “A married man, in his home, in his bed. Did it never cross your mind that what you were doing may have been incredibly wrong?” 

Another beat of silence, then… “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” 

“What?”

“He told me you were in the past. He said you had already left, that you weren’t in the picture any longer. He only had one photo, one of you two and your son, and he said that you had left with him…” She said, eyes flickering up after another moment. “I didn’t realize he was lying until he confronted me about what was being said, about… About what my ex was saying.” 

Eliza cocked her head just slightly, confused by that statement. “Your.. Ex.”

“Yes. I.. I broke up with James shortly before Alexander and I met. He was.. God, he was horrible. He beat me and used me, tried to get me to marry him so he could have a reason to keep me at his hip. It was a bad night when I finally left, and I… I met Alexander, he helped me out, gave me a loan, took me home and… Well..” She sighed, gestured vaguely at Eliza’s laptop, tucked away beside her seat. “He wrote the rest for the world to see.” 

Eliza’s demeanor was completely different by then. She had softened completely, didn’t even know what to say. So she didn’t speak. Just pat the seat beside her and bit her lip as Maria switched sides, sat at the opposite end of the couch and curled up with her legs underneath her. “I didn't really realize that you were as much of a victim to his shit as you were.” Eliza admitted softly, shifted herself to face Maria head-on. 

“Yeah, well..” Maria sighed and shrugged. “Neither did I until my ex confronted him. But…” Her voice went soft as she trailed off, started to pick at her poorly manicured nails again. Eliza carefully put a hand on Maria’s, squeezed a bit before a sound from the hallway made them both jump. 

When they whipped around, a small boy stood peeking into the room, ratty blanket and teddy bear in his hands. “Mama? I had that dream again.” He said, voice small and timid.

Eliza’s demeanor shifted completely as she gestured the boy into the room, started to braid his messy hair as soon as he curled up between her and Maria. From the moment he noticed her, though, the boy didn’t let his gaze leave the stranger in his home. 

“Who are you?” He asked quite curtly, little brows furrowed together as he examined her the best he could. 

“She’s… A friend.” Eliza answered for her as she continued braiding his hair, fingers moving without any thought. 

“A friend?” He cocked his head, eyes glimmering a little. “A good friend? Are you here to make mommy smile again?” 

That absolutely broke Maria’s heart. She cleared her throat to get the tears away from her eyes before either of them could really tell. “I certainly hope so.” She said softly instead, gave the tiniest smile. 

“Philip, don’t you think that’s a little rude to ask?” Eliza reprimanded softly, pulled him into her lap and sighed. 

“Not rude. Wanna know if she’s a good friend. Want her to be my friend, too.” He insisted, freckly little cheeks puffed out in a tiny pout. Both women laughed, the mood lightened by his gentle silliness. 

Maria offered her hand to the boy, who took it eagerly and grinned. “You know, I think I would like that, if your mama would let me.” Now a hopeful glance up to the woman, who gave a small nod and smiled right back. 

“I think we would both like that very much, Maria… Would you like to help Philip get ready for bed again?” Eliza chirped softly, making the boy bounce in her lap and nod rapidly before turning to face Maria with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she had ever seen. 

The offer made Maria’s heart absolutely swell. What had started as pure fear had turned into something she had never experienced before, something so gentle and soft. Something she certainly hoped she would be able to experience again.

**Author's Note:**

> hey yall i know its been a while since i posted 
> 
> i'm trying, i promise. 
> 
> school is a killer. 
> 
> until next time,  
> -krys


End file.
